Prima Gallery

Italian government’s ownership over the sculpture of Biblical hero David made by Renaissance period artist Michelangelo has been challenged by a local authority which claims the heritage statue belongs to Florence city.

Italy’s culture minister Sandro Bondi Monday described as ‘absurd’ and ‘inopportune’ a row that has erupted between the government and Florence city council.

Lawyers for the culture minister have presented a nine-page document claiming the 5.17-metre high marble figure, which draws over 1.5 million visitors annually, belongs to the Italian state.

But the mayor of Florence, Tuscany’s famous art city, insists the masterpiece belongs to the city council.

Centre-left mayor Matteo Renzi argues that when Rome became the capital of Italy, a decree in 1870-1871 assigned Palazzo Vecchio – where David was erected in 1504 – and all its contents to Florence.

But the government strongly disputes this claim and argues that history is on its side.

‘Against my will, I find myself involved once again in an absurd and inopportune row. Michelangelo’s David a symbol of cultural unity for Florence and for Italy,’ Bondi said in a statement Monday.

‘For propaganda purposes, the mayor of Florence is resorting to low tricks in disputing the ownership of this work of art,’ the statement added.

The Italian state, not Florence city council – created when the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany – is the legal successor to the Florentine Republic, according to government lawyers.

The sinuous sling-bearing David, the slayer of Goliath, is the main attraction at Palazzo Vecchio’s Accademia gallery, and is worth 8 million euros in annual ticket sales.

These ticket receipts are pocketed by the Italian government, along with 30 million euros of revenue from other Florence museums, including the world-famous Uffizi gallery.

3D Modeling

Modeling is the process of taking a shape and molding it into a completed 3D mesh. The most typical means of creating a 3D model is to take a simple object, called a primitive, and extend or “grow” it into a shape that can be refined and detailed. Primitives can be anything from a single point (called a vertex), a two-dimensional line (an edge), a curve (a spline), to three dimensional objects (faces or polygons).

Using the specific features of your chosen 3D software, each one of these primitives can be manipulated to produce an object. When you create a model in 3D, you’ll usually learn one method to create your model, and go back to it time and again when you need to create new models. There are three basic methods you can use to create a 3D model, and 3D artists should understand how to create a model using each technique.

1. Spline or patch modeling: A spline is a curve in 3D space defined by at least two control points. The most common splines used in 3D art are bezier curves and NURBS (the software Maya has a strong NURBS modeling foundation.) Using splines to create a model is perhaps the oldest, most traditional form of 3D modeling available. A cage of splines is created to form a “skeleton” of the object you want to create. The software can then create a patch of polygons to extend between two splines, forming a 3D skin around the shape. Spline modeling is not used very often these days for character creation, due to how long it takes to create good models. The models that are produced usually aren’t useful for animation without a lot of modification.

Spline modeling is used primarily for the creation of hard objects, like cars, buildings, and furniture. Splines are extremely useful when creating these objects, which may be a combination of angular and curved shapes. When creating a 3D scene that requires curved shapes, spline modeling should be your first choice.

2. Box modeling: Box modeling is possibly the most popular technique, and bears a lot of resemblance to traditional sculpting. In box modeling, one starts with a primitive (usually a cube) and begins adding detail by “slicing” the cube into pieces and extending faces of the cube to gradually create the form you’re after. People use box modeling to create the basic shape of the model. Once practiced, the technique is very quick to get acceptable results. The downside is that the technique requires a lot of tweaking of the model along the way. Also, it is difficult to create a model that has a surface topology that lends well to animation.

Box modeling is useful as a way to create organic models, like characters. Box modelers can also create hard objects like buildings, however precise curved shapes may be more difficult to create using this technique.

3. Poly modeling / edge extrusion: While it’s not the easiest to get started with, poly modeling is perhaps the most effective and precise technique. In poly modeling, one creates a 3D mesh point-by-point, face-by-face. Often one will start out with a single quad (a 3D object consisting of 4 points) and extrude an edge of the quad, creating a second quad attached to the first. The 3D model is created gradually in this way. While poly modeling is not as fast as box modeling, it requires less tweaking of the mesh to get it “just right,” and you can plan out the topology for animation ahead of time.

Poly modelers use the technique to create either organic or hard objects, though poly modeling is best suited for organic models.

A Workflow that Works
The workflow you choose to create a model will largely depend on how comfortable you are with a given technique, what object you’re creating, and what your goals are for the final product.

Someone who is creating an architectural scene, for example, may create basic models with cubes and other simple shapes to create an outline of the finished project. Meshes can then be refined or replaced with more detailed objects as you progress through the project. This is an organized, well-planned way to create a scene; it is a strategy used by professionals that makes scene creation straightforward. Beginners, on the other hand, tend to dive in headfirst and work on the most detailed objects first. This is a daunting way to work, and can quickly lead to frustration and overwhelm. Remember, sketch first, then refine.

Likewise, when creating an organic model, beginners tend to start with the most detailed areas first, and flesh out the remaining parts later, a haphazard way to create a character. This may be one reason why box modeling has grown to be so widely popular. A modeler can easily create the complete figure before refining the details, like eyes, lips, and ears.

Perhaps the best strategy is to use a hybrid workflow when creating organic models. A well planned organic model is created using a combination of box modeling and poly modeling. The arms, legs, and torso can be sketched out with box modeling, while the fine details of the head, hands, and feet are poly modeled. This is a compromise professional modelers seek which prevents them from getting bogged down in details. It can make the difference between a completed character, and one that is never fleshed out beyond the head. Beginners would be wise to follow this advice.

Mesh Topology
Another aspect of proper workflow is creating a model with an ideal 3D mesh topology. Topology optimization is usually associated with creating models used in animation. Models created without topology that flows in a smooth, circular pattern, may not animate correctly, which is why it is important to plan ahead when creating any 3D object that will be used for animation.

The most frequently discussed topology is the proper creation or placement of edgeloops. An edgeloop is a ring of polygons placed in an area where the model may deform, as in the case of animation. These rings of polygons are usually placed around areas where muscles might be, such as in the shoulder or elbow. Edegeloop placement is critical when creating faces. When edgeloops are ignored, models will exhibit “tearing” when animated, and the model will need to be reworked or scrapped altogether in favor of a properly-planned model.

Next Steps
The next step to creating great models is simply to practice and examine the work of artists you admire. Some of the best 3D modelers are also fantastic pencil-and-paper artists. It will be well worth your time to practice drawing, whether you’re a character creator or a wanna-be architect. Good modeling requires a lot of dedication. You’ll need to thoroughly understand the software you’re using, and the principles of good 3D model creation laid out above. Character artists will need to learn proportion and anatomy.

By understanding these basics of modeling you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and discouragement, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a prolific 3D artist.

It’s important to explore these 3D subjects in more depth, as the right combination of techniques will either make or break your scene. This month, we’ll have a look at cameras and how you can use them to make your 3D scenes come alive.

The camera is an amazing tool. In 3D, unlike the real world, physical limitations don’t exist. You can create a scene where the camera takes you on a journey inside the blood vessels of a human body, or to be an eye-in-the-sky in your scenes, it can be used to create impossible perspectives, to zoom and pan and so much more. It’s beyond the scope of this article to tell you everything about cameras, but here are some basics to get you started.

First, it’s useful to look at some of the differences between 3D cameras and real life cameras. In 3D, unlike in real life, there is no need for a lens, focusing controls, film, aperture, etc. All of these functions are controlled via software. Where things are similar is how the camera is used. In 3D, you can create one or more cameras, position them exactly as desired in 3D space and use settings to mimic focal length, depth of field, etc. Other options for moving a 3D camera are similar to those in movie making, including truck, dolly, motion blur, orbit and pan.

In addition, software cameras have no size or weight restrictions. You can move a camera to any location and even inside the tiniest objects. You can also animate cameras so that several operations take place at once, such as a zooming into a scene while changing the depth of field. Once you create a camera< in 3D, you can pick a view and assign the view in that view to the camera, meaning that you will see the scene from the perspective of the camera.

Let’s look at how the Focal Length, Field of View (FOV) and Depth-of-Field work in 3D. The Focal Length refers to the distance between the lens and a light sensitive surface (film or electronics). The Focal Length determines how much of the subject will be visible. To elaborate, a low Focal Length includes more of the subject, while a higher Focal Length includes less of the subject but offers greater detail of subjects in the distance. The Focal Length is measured in millimeters. As an example, a 50mm lens more or less approximates what the human eyes sees and is a standard lens sold with many still film cameras. When a lens has a Focal Length of less than 50mm it’s referred to as a short or wide angle lens, while a lens with a Focal Length of more than 50mm is referred to as a long or telephoto lens.

The Field of View (FOV) is measured in degrees of the horizon. It determines how much of the scene is visible and is directly related to the Focal Length of the lens. As an example, a 15mm short or wide angle lens in 3DS Max has a Field of View of approximately 100 degrees while a 200mm long or telephoto lens has a 10.3 degree Field of View.
In addition, with a short focal length perspective distortions are emphasized. The result is that objects loom towards the viewer and appear to have depth. In contrast, long focal lengths tend to flatten the object and create parallel lines.